Low Kim Pong in his official robe

In 1898, Master Xian Hui and others stopped by Xingzhou (now Singapore) on their return journey to China from Burma, and he accepted the invitation from Low Kim Pong to build the monastery on 38 acres of land donated by him. The Dharma hall located at the backyard was the first hall to be constructed. The Zhu Lin Temple was added for the stay of his mother, sister and cousin who were named Venerable Ci Miao, Venerable Chan Hui and Yue Guang respectively. During that period, craftsmen and stone materials were procured from Fujian, China, with a small part of the timber procurement from China and the majority of it from South East Asia.

In 1900, Low Kim Pong offered another 12 acres of land. Master Xian Hui went back to China and held an initiation ritual for his father, before returning to Shuanglin Monastery. In the following year, Master Xian Hui passed away. He was succeeded by Master Xing Hui as the second abbot. In 1902, Master Xing Hui passed away. Venerable Ci Miao handed over monastic duties and responsibilities to the third abbot, Master Ming Guang, before returning to Fujian with other Venerables—Chan Hui and Yue Guang. Before her departure, a monument was erected with the engraving of “The Origin of Shuanglin Monastery”, intended to tell the story of the birth and construction of the monastery to future generations.

Mahavira Hall built in 1904

In 1903, Low Kim Pong and other directors published an article titled “Continuation of Shuanglin Monastery Construction” in the Chinese daily Lat Pau, officially making a donation plea to the public. Local and overseas Chinese were so supportive that they acted together to fulfill the donation request. In 1904, construction works for the Mahavira Hall began. The Hall of the Celestial Kings and others, nevertheless, started in 1905. In 1906, Low Kim Pong commissioned the Plaque for Hall of the Celestial Kings (or Tian Wang Dian). In 1907, the Mahavira Hall was completed, while other sections such as the bell tower, drum tower, mountain gate, Sangharama Hall, Hall of the Patriarch, abbot’s residence and the meditation hall etc were subsequently constructed. In 1908, Master Xing Hui was appointed 5th abbot. In 1909, he passed away, and was succeeded by Master Fu Hui as the sixth abbot. Within the same year, Low Kim Pong also passed away. Construction of Shuanglin Monastery was finally concluded, 11 years after its inception in 1898, and Shuanglin Monastery became the most magnificent Conglin or forest monastery in Singapore.